Sighing, Mac said, “No, not at all and that’s the problem. I told Declan a while back that I needed to move on with my life and Ava shows no signs of wanting to be a part of that.” Mac looked at him almost apologetically. “I’m sorry, man. I really am. I’m not abandoning her; I’ll always be here if she needs me, but in a different way.”

Brant felt a pang for his sister, realizing that she was about to throw away the best thing to ever happen to her, and yet there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it. Maybe Ava, like Declan, would have to hit rock bottom in order to come back up for air. Hell, maybe there was something in all this that he needed to be paying attention to. Did he want to be alone and closed off to the world forever like Ava? Holding out a hand to Mac, he shook the other man’s hand. “I understand. No one’s going to think less of you, Mac. You’ve always been there for Ava and I know you’ll continue to watch over her. Maybe she needs to be forced from her comfort zone.”

Mac gave him a skeptical look. “I wish it were that easy. But I’ve started putting some distance between us and I will talk to her soon. Truthfully, I’ve been putting that off because I’m not ready to see her indifference about me.”

Brant couldn’t imagine his sister being indifferent to Mac moving on and finding love somewhere else, but he couldn’t be sure. He may be emotionally reserved, but Ava was emotionally detached, which, in his estimate, was hard to overcome. He and Mac parted ways at the elevator and he walked toward his office even more determined to pursue a relationship with Emma.

Brant looked up from his computer as the sound of movement in the outer office caught his attention. Anticipation filled him as a knock sounded on the door. He was momentarily surprised because Emma usually sailed into his office without bothering to knock. He grinned, yelling out, “Come in.”

His surprise turned to shock as the door opened and Alexia Shaw walked hesitantly into his office. It seemed they were both momentarily at a loss for words before he finally remembered his manners and stood. “Alexia?” He knew that his greeting came out more like a question, but he was powerless to stop it. The same shy smile was there, but she looked very different from the last time they had seen each other. She was thinner, bordering on too skinny, and her hair was shorter and pulled back into a ponytail.

Alexia looked nervous as she closed the door behind her. He walked around the desk to greet her. They exchanged an awkward hug before he indicated one of the chairs in front of the desk. Frankly, he was afraid she would fall over if she stood much longer. “Hi, Brant,” she said quietly. “It’s so good to see you again. I know this must be a bit of a . . . surprise.”

He settled back on the corner of his desk, studying her curiously. He knew from Ava that Alexia was back in town and supposedly engaged. He hadn’t expected to see her, though, so the surprise was hard to shake. “I am surprised, although it’s nice to see you, too. You look . . . well.” Shit, why had he mentioned anything about her appearance?

A laugh erupted from her at his words and finally he saw a brief glimpse of the woman he once loved. “You’re a terrible liar, Brant, you always were. Even when I really didn’t want to hear it, you gave it to me straight. I always admired that about you,” she added almost absently.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Brant smiled, asking, “Is that the only thing you admired?”

His attempt seemed to have the opposite effect as she shook her head solemnly. “No, it’s not. I’m here because I’m counting on your strongest quality . . . loyalty. I know we haven’t been involved for years, but I also know you would never turn your back on someone you cared about. I . . . I need help, Brant. I don’t have anywhere else to turn.” When tears welled in her eyes, Brant grabbed a tissue from the container on his desk and handed it to her.

Fuck, a crying female and it was his ex-fiancée to boot. This morning had officially taken a nosedive from promising to unsettling.

“Alexia . . . what’s wrong?” Brant was starting to get nervous. What was going on here? This didn’t sound like someone needing a loan or wanting absolution for past sins. He found himself not wanting to ask but really he had no choice. “Tell me what I can do to help you? It can’t be as bad as you think.”

“Well, let me see,” she said. Lifting her fingers, she started ticking off her problems for him. “I’m fresh out of rehab after a drug overdose. I’m engaged to the doctor who helped me get into rehab. My parents, who were thrilled with the whole doctor-engagement thing, just found out that their daughter was a former junkie and are terrified that someone else will find out. And my friends, who are still using, have been calling me every day wanting to get together. I can’t seem to get a moment’s peace from anyone in my life!”

Still dazed, Brant asked, “Drug abuse?”

Now it was Alexia’s turn to look at him in surprise. “Surely you must have known? I mean, I was clean when we started dating, but Josie . . . she got me into things that I couldn’t control. It started out with just a few drinks and after a while, those drinks turned into hard alcohol. Finally, it progressed into harder stuff like cocaine, heroin and crystal meth. I . . . knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop.”

Rolling up the sleeve of her shirt, she showed him her arm, covered with dozens of scars that must have been track marks. Taking a deep breath, she added, “By rights, I should already be dead. I woke up more than once in a strange bed, or on the street.”

“Where the fuck was Josie during those times?” Brant demanded. When she flinched, he lowered his voice, fighting for control. “Didn’t she care what was happening to you?”

“I don’t know,” Alexia admitted. “I think it was funny to her at first. You know, take the innocent new friend out and loosen her up. I realize now that she liked having me around because I funded the party for her. I received a check from my father’s company, plus I had a nice savings account that my parents had set up for me when I was younger. Josie never seemed to have any money, so I automatically paid for everything when we were together, including the drugs. She usually took off with her boyfriend during the evening and I somehow made it home most of the time. After you and I broke up, though, I really went off the rails. Knowing you were there was the only thing that kept me in check until then.”